


Firestarter

by ScorpioSnoopy666, The_Secret_Life_Of_Tea



Series: SPG Shenanigans [1]
Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Bickering, Cute, Father and Son, Father and daughter, NBC reference, Other, bit of angst, family love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-23 18:16:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12513388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScorpioSnoopy666/pseuds/ScorpioSnoopy666, https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Secret_Life_Of_Tea/pseuds/The_Secret_Life_Of_Tea
Summary: Dex Walter, the Cyberpunk DJ android, finds out what his adoptive dad and cousin -known as Rabbit and Sprocket- have been up to, the events leading to backstories and possible disagreements later on.This is based on a RP The_Secret_Life_Of_Tea and I participated in on tumblr, which was very very fun to do :)





	1. Chapter 1

Rabbit was standing in the corner when Dex came inside the Walter Manor, the teen automaton moving his red and white headphones off so they were around his neck. The Spine was watching Rabbit, arms folded and a bemused frown etched on his face.  
“H-H-H-Hey, Dex!” Rabbit greeted happily, but The Spine gave him a glare and he turned back around. “The Spine’s being a stick in the mud for sure. Heck, all Sprocket and me did was start an… accidental sort of fire.”  
The Spine sighed out a cloud of steam. “Rabbit… just how on earth do you start an accidental fire?! You know what, never mind…” He turned to Dex. “He’ll be in the corner for another few minutes. I swear to God, Rabbit, if you put one toe out of line…”  
Rabbit turned to Dex and mouthed, “I have no regrets.”  
Dex guffawed when Rabbit told him this, stifling a laugh after Rabbit mouthed those final words, trying not to annoy Spine.  
“Oh my god, Pa! how?! how did it even… and how did Sprocket get involved? she’s a goody-two-shoes!” he exclaimed. This was followed by someone, namely a female voice with a Cockney British accent, saying “WHERE’S THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER?! Oh, oh god! it’s going up the lawn!”

“Wellll… it was all my idea,” Rabbit admitted with a chuckle. “I just kinda nudged her along. Like a partner in crime!”  
The Spine whacked him upside the head, and he pouted harder. Hatchworth chased after Sprocket with another fire extinguisher, helping her to get rid of the flames that were hungrily licking up the green turf in shades of red and orange.  
Dex looked to see Sprocket running outside with a huge red thing in her hands, spraying the fire with foam from the extinguisher.  
“Wow! look at it go!” Dex said in complete awe of the flames.  
“Gee, Peter’s gonna be SO MAD,” Rabbit laughed, earning another smack from The Spine.  
"Ow, watch it" Rabbit murmured, rubbing the back of his head.  
"What was that, Maverick?" Spine asked.  
"Nothing!!" he replied.

Sprocket ran in, the fire now out, as she put the extinguisher back. Outside the scorched lawn was covered in dry, grey grass and emitting smoke.  
“Whew! good thing that was s-s-sorted out!” she said happily, grinning, but shrank back when she saw an angry expression on The Spine’s face.  
She gulped and backed off like a scared puppy.  
“Uh oh..” both she and Dex -who had looked up from his music player- said in unison.  
The Spine pointed to the other corner of the room silently, frowning at Sprocket. She pouted like a spoiled brat who didn't get a toy, folding her arms and slinking to the corner where she faced the wall, not wanting her Papa to get even more mad than he already was.  
The Spine nodded in approval, leaving the room to take care of dinner.

After five minutes passed, he returned with a white apron that had a few splats on it tied around his midsection.  
“Come here, Sprocket,” he sighed, holding his arms out and waiting.  
Sprocket turned around, oil stains on her cheeks. She sniffled and hugged the taller robot, head buried in his chest.  
Dex, on the other hand, was listening to some hip-hop music on his mp3 player.  
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to” she said, looking up at him.  
“Oh, sweetheart…” The Spine tsk'ed, rubbing a hand up and down her back comfortingly. “It’s all right. Shh… Rabbit pushed you into it, didn’t he?” At her nod, he turned around, looking at Rabbit who was still in the corner. “What do you think his punishment should be?” The Spine naturally took on a paternal role for Sprocket, and a big brotherly role for his brother. He loved his family, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to be strict.  
“Hmm….. maybe he could do the dishes?” Sprocket suggested, hearing a jokey “You traitor!” over the Walter Wi-fi.

Dex smirked.  
“No reason ta get fired up, Pa!” Dex remarked, making Sprocket giggle.  
Rabbit laughed aloud, putting up his hands. “You got me, you got me. Whatever. C'mere, twerp,” he chuckled. He locked Dex into a headlock and noogied him.  
Dex laughed and wrestled with Rabbit, both of them ending up going to the floor. He was soon overpowered, Rabbit tickling his sides mercilessly. “Call mercy, or I’ll keep goin!”  
Sprocket giggled and watched them horseplay for a bit, seeing the young golden automaton known as The Jon in the door way. She ran to him and hugged him.  
“Bro bro!!” Sprocket said jovially. The Jon jumped up and down, hands fluttering in excitement. “Aaaah! Sprocket, you’re here!” He grabbed her up in a big hug. “Mine.” he declared, the female squealed and clung to him with a grin gracing her black lips.

Dex laughed, trying to push Rabbit off. “Ok, ok, I’ll call, Papa! Meeerrrcyyy!” he yelled out, still a little breathless laughing. Rabbit's slender piano fingers soon stopped and were withdrawn. Both males sighed, sitting up.  
Rabbit gave a hand to Dex, helping him stand upright. “O-o-okay, everyone, dinner. We’ve got charcoal an’ hot oil, refined oil for us grown ups.”  
The Jon raised a hand. “Am I a grownup?” The Spine chuckled at him.  
Both Dex and Sprocket high-fived each other, walking out after the other three automatons left the room, Hatchworth waiting in the kitchen for them.


	2. Dinner Table Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Refined oil smells DISGUSTING! as both Sprocket and Dex find out, and Rabbit as well as the others get to see Dex's eyes without the holographic glasses covering them.  
> Not only this, but a certain Peter Walter VI, and an angry one at that, confronts the quick-talking copper robot.

As they walked, both of them slipped into a duet of “Get Lucky”, Dex was doing a sort of hip-hop dance walk, Sprocket copying him as best as she could. Dex hummed the tune at any instrumental interlude within the song. Both of them were smiling and moving in synch, truly enjoying themselves.  
Rabbit nudged The Spine, smiling at Sprocket and Dex’s antics.  
Hatchworth served out the food once the five of them got to the kitchen, then uncapped a flask of strong refined oil. The scent of it alone made Dex gag; it was the hard stuff. He took a long drink of it, ignoring Rabbit and The Spine’s disapproving looks.

Indeed, Dex nearly sicked up his circuits at the smell of it, the burning scent making Sprocket turn her face away for a couple of seconds.  
“What in all the multiverse was in that stuff?!” both of the 'teen' automatons thought.  
Sprocket covered her mouth at the scent, sipping her hot oil daintily while Dex chugged his down quickly. He chewed on a battery as if it was bubble gum, taking his headphones off to swipe his fluffy fringe back. Of course it flicked back after a few seconds, his visor had been switched off so his icy blue eyes could be seen clearly.

Hatchworth drank half the flask in one go, setting it down with a satisfied sigh. He looked hazily at the two bots.  
“Hello Sprocket, hello Dex,” he greeted, words slurred. Both of them gave him a "hi" back.  
Rabbit wrinkled his brow at the bronze bot, then turned to Dex. “You got nice eyes, kiddo. Why d'ya hide them?”  
'Here we go' Dex thought, glancing down at his undone shoelaces.  
Sprocket refilled the drinks if needed and collected any empty plates to go into the sink, both she and the Spine making sure that Hatchworth didn’t get too hammered. “I, uh…. I like ‘em but…y'know… I kinda get weird looks whenever we’re out. Nothin’ really to get under my casin’, but I heard a group of kids talk bad about ‘em. Said I look like one of the “I robot” droids, except worse, and they all laughed” he rested his head on one hand and lazily moved the hot oil around in the glass.

Sprocket frowned when she heard this; Dex never told her about this. She reached into her compartment, swapping her fishnet-gloves hands for combat gauntlets (which could be taken off of one hand) “Those rapscallions! If they try anything we’ll pop ‘em a new one” she declared, uppercutting the air before standing straight again. Dex chuckled. She swapped her hands back for the fishnet ones, bringing out a small hand mirror and holding it up to Dex.  
“Know what I see?” “No, what? All I see is me.” Dex answered, a little confused as to where his tin cousin was going with this statement.  
“Well I see a handsome and cool dude who is very skilled and amazing to hang around with. Don’t worry about those bullies, cuz, they just have nothing better to do in their lives” she put the mirror away and closed the compartment tight, sitting back down in her seat.  
Rabbit gave Dex a pat in the back and a kiss on the forehead. “Hey. She’s right, ya know. B-B-Because you’re the coolest dude– after me, of course– and those kids can go stick a bolt in their brains if they think you look funny. They’re just jealous,” he said, gesturing expansively, an arm around Dex’s shoulders, “because y-y-you’re a handsome devil!”  
He smiled, a ‘blush’ on his face as his chassis heated up a bit.  
“Heh, thanks, Pops. Thanks, you guys” he replied, a bit more relaxed. He swallowed the battery, downing the rest of the oil in his glass.  
Sprocket smiled as she finished her dinner, but almost choked when she heard someone yell “WHO SET FIRE TO THE LAWN?!?!”  
Rabbit leapt up, knocking over his chair in the process, and went to hide out. Jumping up, too, The Spine grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back to his seat, plunking him right down. “Stay,” he said warningly, and went to go see who it was.  
It was Peter and Steve; Steve was shocked but impressed, but…. oh boy…. Peter did NOT look happy!  
Sprocket watched, glancing at Rabbit in a “We’re boned” kind of way.

Rabbit grinned at Peter charmingly. “Heyyyy…”  
“Rabbit, what happened?” Peter snapped, glaring with crossed arms.  
“I-I-I can explain” Sprocket said shakily, Peter looking at her. When he did this, she looked down.  
“U-um..”

Rabbit stepped forward. “I-I-It was all me, Petes. No big deal, right? After all, ‘s only grass, an’ grass grows back. Some say it grows back greener!” He placed a hand on Sprocket’s arm. “Go sit back down, kiddo.”  
Sprocket nodded and did as she was told to, Peter seeming a little satisfied with the answer but still lecturing Rabbit on “safety” and such, Rabbit looking as if he'd heard it aaaaaall before. Dex and The Jon were playing ‘rock, paper, scissors’ as the others talked, Sprocket going to sit next to Spine again.


	3. Crystal Pepsi Chaos!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a two parter, technically, so the outcome of Dex and The Jon's antics will be in the next chapter.  
> Sorry if it's short :*  
> ScorpioSnoopy666 xoxo

The Jon kept yawning like a kitten, in desperate need of sleep. He was a very excitable robot, until it came time for stasis. He was the littler brother of Dex and Sprocket; even though he was much older, he was considered immature, acting quite childlike. He rubbed at his eyes, letting out a sleepy groan.  
Dex -after ending the game by winning 2 out of 3 times- turned to his golden brother, getting up from the table and taking him to his room.

“Come on, let’s get you in bed, lil bro. What’s the time, anyways?” Dex asked, looking around for a clock while the duo walked down the hallway.  
His optics settled on the grandfather clock in the foyer; almost 10 o' clock at night? how was that even possible?  
He shrugged, walking to The Jon’s chamber and going inside with him.

“Want me to read you something? we’ve got tech manuals, some sci-fi and fantasy stuff, the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe- hang on, what’s that doing there? that’s Sprocket’s. Never mind.  
Um… fairy tales, some manga? and a book on the solar system” Dex declared, looking at the book selection in The Jon's bedroom which seemed to look like a young boy's room, complete with glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, a bookcase full of books and comics, a wardrobe and a bed with a fluffy blue bedspread to match the blue and gold wallpaper.  
“What do you think?” he asked, turning to The Jon.

The automaton in question sucked his thumb drowsily, only to remove it and mumble, “I’m not tired, Dex! Can’t I stay up like you?”  
Despite this, he peered over Dex’s shoulder and pointed to the collection of Edgar Allen Poe’s works, looking up hopefully at Dex. “How 'bout that one?”  
“Ya look tired to me” Dex spoke, quirking an eyebrow and opening the book.  
“I’ll give ya some privacy ta get ready. Call me when you’re done, ‘kay?” he instructed, stepping out the room to give The Jon some privacy, flicking through to one of his and Sprocket's favourite tales; The Raven.  
Absent-mindedly, Dex mouthed the words of the poem while his optics flickered over the pages.

The Jon pouted. Dex couldn’t make him sleep, he’d just stay up like his big brother. He got into fuzzy blue pajamas with stars and moons printed on them, and then called out sullenly, “’M done…”  
“Cool” Dex replied, snapping out of the world of fiction and entering the bedroom again. The DJ 'droid looked at the solemn look on The Jon's face.  
With a sigh, he sat next to him on the bed.  
“Yeah, I know you wanna stay up. Which is why….. I have this” he said with a smirk, bringing out some crystal Pepsi.  
“But don’t tell Uncle Spine or Pa, otherwise I’ll be kicked straight to the moon before ya can say ‘Apeture Science’” Dex added with a laugh.

Recognizing the familiar fizzy drink, The Jon’s eyes lit up in excitement. “You really mean it, big bro? Ah! Thank youuuu!” he crowed, hugging Dex tight around the middle. He opened the Pepsi and slugged some out of the can, getting bouncier by the minute. “Hahahaha!”

Dex chuckled, cracking open a can and chugging it down until it was empty, letting out an obnoxious-sounding belch and laughing.  
“Whoa! whoo, sugar rush!!” he yelled with maniacal laughter. “Yeah!! we’re kings of the world, Jonny Boy!” he added, jumping on the bed.  
The Jon, of course, joined him, both automatons laughing and talking loudly as if they were both young kids.

Sprocket was helping the others clear the table, letting out a small yawn of her own as she carried the empty glasses to the kitchen sink. She groaned a little tiredly, shaking her head to get rid of the sleepy feeling.  
No way was she going to fall asleep while the others were still up!  
To distract herself, she hummed a few songs while she straightened a few things up around the manor that needed to be done. Notably, one of the themes she was singing to herself was the ‘Small Wonder’ theme song, seeming to dance-walk her way back to the other automatons.

Rabbit and The Spine heard the commotion from Jon’s room, faintly detecting seemingly the only female bot -besides Upgrade, who was nowhere to be seen, strangely enough- walking towards them.  
Both of them shared a Paternal Look of Exasperation, Rabbit pointing to Sprocket and mouthing, “I’ll take care of her if you get the other two.” The Spine nodded, sliding out of his seat and going to Jon’s room. He rapped on the door. “Open up, kids.”  
Dex stopped. “Uh oh! you, uh, answer the door, I’ll be here!” he said, wiggling under the bed and making sure the covers concealed the gap beneath the bed, not wanting Spine to find him. Peering out from beneath the bed, he saw The Jon approaching the door, hearing it click open.

Rabbit, meanwhile, approached Sprocket, giving her a grin. “Hey, sweetie. Your Papa wants me to chill w-w-with you a bit, so Uncle Rabbit’s here. Why don’t we watch a movie?”  
“S-s-sounds good, Uncle Rabbit!” Sprocket replied happily, placing the glasses in the sink and dusting her hands off on her black skirt before walking with Rabbit towards the lounge.  
“What should we watch? Tim Burton? Hunger Games? Short Circuit?” she asked once they were in the lounge, the tin female’s eyes skimming over various titles of the DVDs on the shelf. She seemed excited to spend some time with Rabbit.  
Rabbit smiled at her enthusiasm. “Well, seeing as it’s gettin’ close to Halloween, I was thinkin’ we could watch Nightmare Before Christmas. D'ya like that movie?” He started setting up a blanket nest.  
He settled and put an arm around her, pulling her in close. “Comfy? I can get you some hot oil if you like, too.”  
"Nah, it's alright, don't wanna move" Sprocket sighed in content, head resting on Rabbit's shoulder while the opening credit music trickled out of the speakers


	4. Lesson learned: Don't backchat The Spine! (or Crystal Pepsi Chaos part 2)

The Spine knocked a touch harder, his eyes fixed in a stern and fatherly glare, his black lips pursed.  
Cautiously, The Jon answered, opening it up with a big sheepish grin. “H-hey…”  
The Spine towered over him, hands on his hips and frown etched on his face. “And what are you doing up, so full of energy?”  
The Jon shrugged helplessly, not daring to look into his brother's eyes.

The DJ droid watched from under the bed, a little wary about what was going to happen to his younger brother, his optics’ light a little blurred by the holographic shades, squinting for good measure.  
The Spine crossed his arms. He knew Dex was under the bed, and he was gonna drive him out or way or another; he wasn’t a cowboy fanatic for nothing.  
“I guess you’ll just have to go over my knee,” he sighed, and The Jon squeaked in fear.  
Dex stiffened when he heard Spine walking over to the bed and crouched down, moving the blanket up and seeing Dex's glowing ice blue eyes.  
"You come out of there right now, mister" Spine ordered, clearly miffed.  
Dex let out an "aaw" and wriggled out, standing upright and dusting his clothes off, shaking off a couple of cobwebs and dust balls, looking up at his uncle.

The Spine put his hands on his hips, glaring down at the young bots. “"Now, you both have a choice. You can either go to bed right now– and yes, Dex, that means you, too– or you can go over my knee and then go straight to bed anyways. Your choice.”  
Dex pouted sulkily, with a sigh. “Ok, ok, I’ll go to bed” he sighed, leaving the room.  
“Night, guys" he murmured, being met by a small "G'night, bro" and a brief "Night."

From just in hearing range, Dex could hear a discussion as well as the faint sounds of a film playing on the TV as he wandered down the hall.  
"My favorite song is ‘Making Christmas’. It’s jus’ so creepy!” came Rabbit's voice.  
"“That one is awesome! as well as Kidnap the Sandy Claws” Sprocket added. There was then the sound of the door creaking open, both Rabbit and Sprocket looking up to see Dex peering into the room.  
“That’s not fair! how come Sprocket gets to stay up?!” he whined, frowning and standing in the doorway.  
“You can come and watch the film wi-with us if you’d like, cuz?” Sprocket suggested.  
“Ok! what are we watchin’?” he asked, going towards the pair.

The Spine came in, frowning down at Dex with his arms folded. "No, he’s off to bed, because he’s behaving childishly. It must be because he’s overtired and needs an early bedtime.”  
Rabbit rolled his eyes at Dex. “Ahhh, it’s fine. C’mon over, kiddo.” he encouraged.  
“You’re too soft on him,” The Spine admonished. "Dex, go to bed.”

Dex glared behind his holographic shades, looking up at Spine defiantly. Sprocket looked at little wary at this.  
“I ain’t goin’ if Sprocket ain’t goin! and that’s that!” Dex sassed with a cocky look, hands on his hips.  
“Oh dear” Sprocket murmured, hand over her mouth.  
The Spine took Dex by the ear, dragging the wayward bot behind him as he headed to Dex’s room.  
Sprocket looked a little worried, watching this happen helplessly.  
“Goodness, I hope Dad’s not too harsh on Dex” she told Rabbit, looking down at her hands in her lap. Her hair was brushed to the side, exposing her neck, her hat was off and put away. Rabbit scowled and rolled up his sleeves, marching out the door.

“Hey, let g- aaaaagh!!” Dex yelled out, stumbling as he was dragged by Spine. He looked a little embarrassed as well as apprehensive at what Spine was going to do to him. Maybe if he calmed him down and apologized, he would be able to get out of this without being whacked.  
He sat on the bed, pulling Dex over his lap. “What do you have to say for yourself before we begin, young man?”  
“I’m real sorry, The Spine. I was just bein’ jealous coz Sprocket gets to stay up and I wanna stay up with her. A-and I won’t do it again, I promise.” he said, resting his head on his hand and glancing up at him.  
Just as Spine raised his hand, the door crashed open, revealing a furious looking Rabbit.  
“Now h-h-hang on jus’ one second, cowboy!” he said sternly, coming after The Spine and Dex. “I’ll be darned if you whack this poor kid jus’ because he wanted to stay up! That’s jus’ not right!”  
The Spine glared at him. “Well, that’s your opinion, but– AH!” Rabbit had leaned down and grabbed The Spine himself by the ear before the titanium alloy male could finish the curt response. “D'ya need a taste of your own medicine? Maybe a piece of humble pie?”

While they were distracted, Dex scrambled upright, sprinting past his arguing uncle and dad, crashing into Sprocket who was standing outside. The DJ droid was trembling, Sprocket gently hushing him and hugging him tight.  
“Ssh, it’s alright, cuz. It’s ok, I-I-I’ve got you. Y-Y-You can come into the lounge with me and your dad, ok? I’ll get you some oil to calm ya down. Wait for me i-in the lounge, yeah?” she instructed softly once they broke the embrace.  
“Yeah” Dex replied, walking to the lounge, Sprocket to the kitchen and getting a cup of warm oil before striding dutifully to the lounge.


	5. Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sprocket and Dex comfort the Jon as the two brothers argue, calming their minds and trying to block it out xx

The movie was still playing, Sprocket giving Dex -who was wrapped up in a fluffy blue blanket- the oil. He sipped it, eyes glued to the screen as "What's This?" started playing. He smiled half-heartedly.

“I’ll be back in a second” she told him, walking to her room and closing the door.  
She sighed, getting out of her day clothes, grabbing a hairbrush from her chest compartment and putting it on the small chest of drawers she had in the corner of the room; the top of the wooden chest of drawers had a multitude of girlish fragrance, a small jewelry box, flash cards, a couple of toys and vinyl figures, a few open books and a blue and gold diary with a pencil tidy.  
Surprisingly, the desk in the room had fewer stuff on it apart from some books, paper and stationary. Various posters, artwork and even a world map was on the light blue walls that were painted with seashells and different sea creatures, including a mermaid or two. Her bed was a single with mint green sheets and a cream ruffled duvet, a red blanket neatly folded at the foot of the bed.  
She slipped on a yellow nightgown with short sleeves and black slipper-boots, brushing her hair before putting on a teal bathrobe, trying to block out the two automatons arguing. The yells of the males seemed to echo through the halls no matter how far away she was from the room.

Dex watched the film, ignoring the fighting happening. Both of their insides jolted and they felt very wound up whenever fighting or arguments occurred between any of them, even each other, their cores stimulating what humans may call ‘disgust’ and ‘fear’. The blanket shifted as Sprocket got back in the nest, curling up close to Dex. He had his headphones around his neck, black tracksuit bottoms on and dark red socks, though he was absent of a shirt.

The two 'bots heard sniffling from a certain young golden automaton. He stood in the doorway, a wet patch on his pants. He had a tendency to wet the bed– his boiler ended up leaking when he was scared.  
He looked beseechingly at Dex and Sprocket, holding out his arms for a hug.  
He hated it when his brothers fought, almost as much as Dex and Sprocket did.

“Jon” Sprocket gasped, getting up and wrapping her arms around him, Dex doing the same, all three of them going to the couch and sitting down. Sprocket nuzzled their little sibling -despite Dex and Sprocket being cousins, they were both the brother and sister to the golden automaton- oil tears springing to her eyes once more in that day. She pursed her black lips, trying to stay strong, but Dex could feel her boiler humming beneath her shaking chassis, trying not to cry behind his visor.  
“ _I remember tears streaming down your face, when I said I’d never let you go._  
_When all those shadows almost killed your light._  
_I remember you said, ‘don’t leave me here alone’._  
_But all that’s dead and gone and passed tonight~”_ Sprocket sang soothingly, Dex pausing the movie. He pressed a kiss to The Jon’s temple, arms locked gently around the other’s torso, his cousin stroking the gold automaton’s hair.

 _“Just close your eyes,_  
_The sun is going down._  
_You’ll be alright,_  
_No-one can hurt you now._  
_Come morning light, all three of us will be safe, And sound~_ ”

The Jon swayed sleepily, tucking his thumb into his mouth, a muffled yawn escaping him.  
Soon all his weight was on Dex; he weighed a fragile 150 pounds. Compared to the one ton The Spine and Rabbit weighed, The Jon was as light as a feather.  
He clutched Dex’s shirt in one fist, the soft sound of him sucking his thumb in the DJ bot’s ear. “Pretty,” he mumbled, eyelids drooping.  
Dex let out a soft sigh, his core and a few wires between the gaps in his pale plastic chassis glowing in the process. The tears on his ‘skin’ dried while Sprocket continued to sing the gentle lullaby.  
He leaned back and got comfortable against the sofa cushions. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” he murmured sleepily.  
“Sleep tight, bucko. Sweet dreams.” he yawned, his own eyes starting to shut.  
The tin maiden smiled softly, concluding the song.

“Night night, my dear. Te amo” she whispered to The Jon.  
The golden robot nestled up between them both, smiling drowsily around his thumb. Soon all three of them were sleeping deeply.

In the other room, the paternal bots were silent, looking at each other in fear. “D-Did we upset them?” Rabbit wondered aloud, worried.  
The Spine swallowed. “You know how sensitive they get… we had better go check on them.”  
When they walked in, Rabbit gave a little sad sigh, coming over to Dex. “Come here, buckaroo…” he said quietly, picking Dex up.  
The Spine did the same with Sprocket and The Jon, one on each side. “They can sleep in the big bed, yeah? I think they need it…”

Dex groaned sleepily, his head buried in the crook of Rabbit’s neck and his arms around him. Sprocket had her arms curled loosely around Spine’s shoulders, her knees gripping his hip a little. Her eyes drowsily fluttered and opened halfway.  
“Hm?” she squeaked, half-asleep, before waves of unconsciousness washed over her again, making her power down. Her dark blue optics closed once more.  
“Dad? we love you both. Please don’t fight” she murmured sleepily.

“We’re sorry, darling,” The Spine soothed, kissing her hair gently. “We weren’t thinking.”  
Rabbit hummed in agreement, kissing Dex on the forehead. “Shhh… I gotcha, little buddy.”  
The Jon whimpered into The Spine’s collar, and he gave him a kiss, too. “Let’s go, sleepyheads.”  
He carried them into a room dominated by a huge bed, affectionately known as the “big bed”. There, the young bots were all settled, tucked in, and given kisses on the forehead. “Is everyone comfy?” Rabbit asked.

Sprocket and Dex were on opposite sides of the ‘big bed’, The Jon sandwiched in the middle. Dex, having been too lazy to find his PJs, just wore his black tracksuit bottoms to bed, his shirtless torso exposed.  
“Yeah” Dex replied in his sleep, Sprocket already curled up in a ball with one arm around The Jon, her fingers resting on Dex’s upper arm.

Rabbit chuckled. “I’m glad. Goodnight, kiddos.” The Spine left with Rabbit, and they sat down to have a bit of refined oil and talk. Soon, the sun overcame the night, and Rabbit and The Spine were half-asleep, fingers clutching their glasses lazily, at the table.


End file.
